Summary

• Brewster offers hot chocolate on Valentine's Day, breaking away from his coffee routine.
• The bug section of the museum hosts beetle "fight club" battles late at night.
• Redd's haunted fake artwork may move, wink, or float, adding a spooky touch to the game.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is one of those games that keeps on giving as players continue to discover unnoticed details even today. It was released at the start of the pandemic, in March 2020, yet has carried on as a beloved evergreen game for many who continue to visit their island paradise regularly. Between the friendships formed with villagers and the variety of decorating and events that players can engage with, there is always something to do. Apparently, there are also many small details that developers hid away in the game, just waiting for players to stumble across them.

Years after the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, devoted players to the series keep finding more subtle game mechanics or interactive objects that they may not have had the chance to notice previously. Whether something as subtle as a decorating feature on a home or a haunted piece of artwork that only moves once per day, there are so many small elements being uncovered that it is easy to wonder how many are still yet to be seen. Here are some of the less obvious features of ACNH that many players have not been aware of, even after playing for years.

10 Brewster Doesn't Just Serve Coffee

Once A Year, He Offers A Surprise

Animal Crossing's brooding pigeon barista is known for his particular blends of coffee, which draws the attention of all on the island, as well as many guests from off the island. Brewster's café, The Roost tucked away inside the museum, is surprisingly the only restaurant on the island, and it only offers one item: coffee. At least, most of the time, Brewster will only serve coffee.

One day a year, on Valentine's Day, Brewster helps players celebrate the day by providing a warm mug of hot chocolate in place of the usual brew. Longtime players might recognize that this small detail is actually a longstanding tradition that began back with Animal Crossing: City Folk and carried on through New Leaf as well. In fact, if Brewster had abandoned tradition in New Horizons, he may have been faced with several upset customers.

9 There Is A Secret Fight Club Taking Place

A Beetle Showdown Happens In The Museum

Once something has been donated to Blathers for the museum, players get to experience seeing that item, whether fish, bug, fossil, or art, on display in the museum's exhibits. The bug section of the facility is beautifully designed with lush environments for the bugs to bask in a world of luxury created just for them, despite Blathers' negative opinion of the specimens. The more that is donated, the more rich and full of life the exhibits become.

After enough beetles have been donated, if a late-night visitor to the museum is quiet when entering the room, they may be able to witness the beetle community having their own bit of sport. These bugs have their own fight club battles going on, with other bugs as spectators and the contenders switching up on different nights. Patient players can even stick around and witness who the winner is for each battle.

8 Daisy Mae's Grandma Makes An Appearance In The Game

Joan Visits In Happy Home Paradise

The young turnip salesperson Daisy Mae, is not the first to sell turnips in Animal Crossing games. Prior to ACNH, Daisy Mae's grandma, Joan, was the regular turnip seller, but apparently she decided to retire before the deserted island getaway package became the big business that it is in New Horizons. Despite Daisy Mae's snot-laden nose, she is an adorable addition to the series, but longtime fans may have wondered what happened to Joan, who was always a sweet, older woman who obviously worked hard to sell her turnips.

After the DLC, Happy Home Paradise, was released, some lucky players got their answer. After completing the medical facility on the island, Joan is one of the possible patients who shows up at the hospital. When talked to, she explains to the player that she suffers from some back pain after carrying turnips for so many years.

7 Balloons Can Be Hit With A Net

But It Is Much Easier With A Slingshot

In all fairness, it is much easier to simply use a slingshot to shoot down the mysterious floating balloons that carry presents across the island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Even if someone does not happen to have a slingshot at the ready, it only takes five hardwood to craft one at any crafting station. That said, for anyone who may be looking for a greater challenge, there is another method for popping those strange balloons.

Upon seeing a balloon flying overhead from the lowest level of the island, if a player can get ahead of the balloon, perfectly in line with its flight path, and uses the terrain editor to build a cliff at the right location, they have a chance at greatness. If this cliff is in the exact right spot, and the balloon was started on the lower level of the island, then by climbing on top of this cliff and swinging a shovel at the balloon, players can pop the balloon by using a shovel rather than the slingshot, and hopefully someone will have been around to witness this feat.

6 Villagers Will Share Their Crafting Table

It's Okay To Get Cozy With These Neighbors

It is a well-known fact that when a player enters a villager's home and sees the villager crafting at their workbench, the player will be gifted with a crafting recipe for whatever the villager is making simply by talking to the villager. Early on in the game, this is a wonderful way to learn new crafting recipes. Additionally, it is just a cute game mechanic for being able to see a villager hard at work making an item, particularly when it is something very strange and takes the villager several hours to complete.

A small detail that many have not realized is that the villagers will also happily allow players to work alongside them at the same workbench. Simply standing next to their friendly neighbor, facing the crafting table, and pressing A will bring up the familiar craft menu that is seen at any other workbench.

5 Wasps Hate Phones, Apparently

Nook Phone Can Dispel Wasps

In the real world, many people find it rude when someone pulls out their phone and starts messing with it while in the middle of an interaction. Apparently, in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the wasps feel the same way. If wasps are chasing down the player character and someone would rather not deal with being stung and having to find medicine, quickly opening up the Nook Phone and messing around with its apps will make the wasps give up and leave, as is shown in the video above by YouTuber ceomg.

This is actually only one of many unique ways players have found to circumvent angry wasp attacks, with other ways including using party poppers, dancing, and more. Unfortunately, none of these methods are recommended for use in the real world.

4 Curtains Can Be Interacted With In The Player's House

Let That Light Shine In

Depending on the wallpaper used in the player character's home, some of the windows have curtains that can be pulled open as well as closed. All a player has to do is walk up to the window and press A, assuming there is nothing in front of the window, and see if their current wallpaper will allow it. Many wallpapers are designed with specific window styles that do not allow this feature, so it pays to try out a few styles.

Unlike villagers' homes, which signal that they cannot have visitors by presenting a darkened home with curtains drawn closed, closing the curtains in the main character's home does not prevent friendly neighbors from stopping by. However, there will be a visual change to the exterior of the house if all the curtains or blinds in the main room are closed. If all the curtains are closed in the main room, then the outside of the home will appear to have the curtains drawn or open if the windows inside the main room have open curtains.

3 Redd's Fake Art Might Be Haunted

Some Fake Pieces Will Wink Or Float

It can be frustrating to realize that one has been duped by cousin Redd into spending a small fortune on a fake piece of artwork. Once a piece of art has been inspected by Blathers and said to be fake, there isn't much anyone can do with it, as it can not be sold or donated. One thing that might lessen that sting a bit for some, is discovering that their fake art may, in fact, be haunted.

Although being haunted does not make them more valuable, decorating a player's home with some haunted items can be a fun consolation.

As seen in the above YouTube video by AbdallahSmash, there are a handful of fakes that will mysteriously move or even smile late at night. Confirmed haunted pieces include the fake versions of:

• Wistful Painting (eyes will close and open at a certain time of night)
• Informative Statue (a blue glow will appear)
• Scary Painting (evil frown will become a creepy smile at night)
• Graceful Painting (the head will turn from one direction to the other at a certain time, also a stain appears on the back)
• Ancient Statue (will float when interacted with and eyes will glow)

2 Strolling Villagers Will Glance Up At Trees That Have Something In Them

Whether Something Useful Or Wasps

This subtle detail proves to be extremely difficult to capture in a screenshot without a significant amount of patience. During play, however, it can be noticed just in the course of regular activities. Villagers on the island will commonly walk around the environment, sometimes munching on a snack or stopping to chat with other neighbors. Occasionally, they may even be seen pulling out a magnifying glass to stare at a bug on a rock.

If a player sees a villager looking up into the branches of a tree, that is a sure sign that something is hidden inside that tree. It might be a wasp, or it could be a giant piece of furniture packed in a tiny box or even some bells. This is not something that will happen every time a villager es an occupied tree, but when it is witnessed, there is something there.

1 Dance While Swimming In The Ocean

Most Reactions Are Usable While Swimming

Taking a swim in the ocean is a fun part of the game, and it allows players to chase bubbles and capture sea creatures, in addition to just having fun swimming. When in the water, players are often focused on either exploring or, more likely, searching for these bubble spots that signify where to dive to get something. Therefore, it is easy to miss the fact that many of the reaction emotes in the game can be used in the water, including dance.

This fun detail is hilarious to watch as the player character begins to dance around in the ocean, and is one of those little features that developers didn't have to include, but the fact that they did can put a smile on many people's faces. Ultimately, it is just one more reason to love Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Source: ceomg/YouTube, AbdallahSmash/YouTube